Portable electronic apparatus and wrist apparatus

ABSTRACT

A wrist apparatus as a portable electronic apparatus includes a case, a solar battery that is provided in the case and has an outer circumference along the outer edge of the case and an inner circumference the perimeter of which is shorter than that of the outer circumference, and an acceleration sensor that is provided in the case and disposed in a position where the acceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery in a plan view of light receiving surface of the solar battery.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. JP2017-139732, filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Jul. 19, 2017, andJP 2018-032903, filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Feb. 27, 2018,the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus and awrist apparatus.

2. Related Art

There is a known portable electronic apparatus that is worn around awrist with the aid of a band or any other component and has the functionof measuring a wearer's (user's) biological information on the pulsewave and other factors and displaying the measured information in thedigital form. An electronic apparatus of this type including a solarbattery (solar cell) has been put into use. For example,JP-A-2016-168274 discloses a sport watch that incorporates a solar celland is so operated through a user's operation of a button or any othercomponent that a measurement mode or a display mode relating to marathonor any other activity is selected and information on measured lap time,measured running time, and other pieces of information is displayed inthe digital form in a display section. In general, the solar battery isprovided along the outer circumference of the display section, whichdisplays time and other pieces of information, in the plan view. Theconfiguration described above allows a sufficient light receivingsurface of the solar battery to be provided without hindering thedisplayed information in the display section.

When the user operates a button of the sport watch described inJP-A-2016-168274, which is an example of the portable electronicapparatus in recent years, during an activity, such as running, it isdifficult to visually recognize the button, for example, the user needsto search for the position of the button, in some cases. To solve theproblem, a method for tapping the case of the sport watch to select themeasurement mode, the display mode, or any other mode has been used. Inthe tapping method, operation of tapping the case is sensed with anacceleration sensor or any other sensor, but the tapping operationcannot reliably be sensed depending on the position where theacceleration sensor is located.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to increase theprecision in detection of tapping operation while providing a sufficientlight receiving surface of a solar battery.

The invention can be implemented as the following forms or applicationexamples.

Application Example 1

A portable electronic apparatus according to this application exampleincludes a case having an opening section that opens toward one side, asolar battery provided in the case and having an outer circumferencelocated on the side facing the inner edge of the opening section and aninner circumference the perimeter of which is shorter than that of theouter circumference, and an acceleration sensor provided in the case anddisposed in a position where the acceleration sensor overlaps with thesolar battery in a plan view along a normal to a light receiving surfaceof the solar battery.

In the portable electronic apparatus according to this applicationexample, the acceleration sensor is disposed in a position where theacceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery, which has an outercircumference located on the side facing the inner edge of the openingsection and an inner circumference the perimeter of which is shorterthan that of the outer circumference, in the plan view along thedirection of a normal to the light receiving surface of the solarbattery. In other words, since the acceleration sensor is disposed in aposition close to the outer circumference (inner edge) of the case, theacceleration sensor can reliably capture and sense vibration producedwhen the case is tapped. The configuration described above allows asufficiently wide light receiving surface of the solar battery to beprovided and the tapping detection precision to be increased.

Application Example 2

A portable electronic apparatus according to this application exampleincludes a case, a display section incorporated in the case and having adisplay surface on which information is displayed, a solar batterydisposed outside the display surface in a plan view along a normal tothe display surface, and an acceleration sensor incorporated in the caseand disposed in a position where the acceleration sensor overlaps withthe solar battery in the plan view.

In the portable electronic apparatus according to this applicationexample, the acceleration sensor is disposed in a position where theacceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery, which is disposedoutside the display surface of the display section, in the plan viewalong the direction of a normal to the display section. In other words,since the acceleration sensor is disposed in a position close to theouter circumference (inner edge) of the case, the acceleration sensorcan reliably capture and sense vibration produced when the case istapped. The configuration described above allows a sufficiently widelight receiving surface of the solar battery to be provided and thetapping detection precision to be increased.

Application Example 3

It is preferable that the portable electronic apparatus according to theapplication example further includes a circuit substrate electricallyconnected to the acceleration sensor, and that the circuit substrate isso supported that an outer circumference thereof is supported by thecase.

According to this application example, since the circuit substrateelectrically connected to the acceleration sensor is so supported thatthe outer circumference thereof is supported by the case, the vibrationfrom the case is likely to be transmitted to the acceleration sensor,whereby the acceleration sensor can sense the tapping operation withincreased sensing precision.

Application Example 4

It is preferable that the portable electronic apparatus according to theapplication example further includes a biological information measuringsection that is provided in the case and measures biologicalinformation, and that the solar battery is disposed outside an outeredge of the biological information measuring section in the plan view.

According to this application example, the solar battery is disposedoutside the outer edge of the biological information measuring sectionin the plan view. In other words, since the biological informationmeasuring section is disposed in a portion closer to the center of thecase than the solar battery in the plan view, the influence of outsidelight on the biological information measuring section can be suppressed,and the solar battery can be disposed with no decrease in the precisionof the detection performed by the biological information measuringsection.

Application Example 5

In the portable electronic apparatus according to the applicationexample, it is preferable that the circuit substrate is disposed betweenthe solar battery and the biological information measuring section in across section viewed in a direction perpendicular to a direction of anormal to the light receiving surface.

According to this application example, the circuit substrate can blockwhat is called stray light that is produced when part of light intendedfor power generation and traveling toward the solar battery formsleakage light that enters the case from the side facing the solarbattery, for example, through gaps, whereby the influence of the outsidelight on the biological information measuring section can be reduced.

Application Example 6

In the portable electronic apparatus according to the applicationexample, it is preferable that the circuit substrate has a first surfaceand a second surface so related to the first surface that the first andsecond surfaces are front and rear surfaces of the circuit substrate,and that the solar battery and the acceleration sensor are connected tothe first surface and the biological information measuring section isconnected to the second surface.

According to this application example, the lengths of routed wiringlines for connection between the components described above and thecircuit substrate can be minimized, and the circuit substrate can blockwhat is called stray light that is produced when part of light intendedfor power generation and traveling toward the solar battery formsleakage light that enters the case from the side facing the solarbattery, for example, through gaps, whereby the influence of the outsidelight on the biological information measuring section can be reduced.

Application Example 7

In the portable electronic apparatus according to the applicationexample, it is preferable that the acceleration sensor is mounted on thecircuit substrate and disposed in a portion facing the outercircumference of the circuit substrate.

According to this application example, since the acceleration sensor ismounted on the circuit substrate and disposed in a portion facing theouter circumference of the circuit substrate, the vibration from thecase is likely to be transmitted to the acceleration sensor, whereby theacceleration sensor can sense the tapping operation with increasedsensing precision.

Application Example 8

It is preferable that the portable electronic apparatus according to theapplication example further includes a secondary battery provided in thecase and electrically connected to the solar battery, and that thesecondary battery is disposed in a position where the secondary batterydoes not overlap with the solar battery in the plan view.

According to this application example, the solar battery is unlikely tobe affected by heat generated when the secondary battery is charged, sothat an increase in the temperature of the solar battery can besuppressed, whereby the power generation efficiency of the solar batterycan be increased.

Application Example 9

In the portable electronic apparatus according to the applicationexample, it is preferable that the solar battery has an annular shape inthe plan view.

According to this application example, the annular arrangement of thesolar battery allows, for example, efficient arrangement of the displayarea, whereby the exterior appearance of the portable electronicapparatus can be improved.

Application Example 10

It is preferable that the portable electronic apparatus according to theapplication example further includes a circuit substrate provided in thecase, that the circuit substrate has a first surface and a secondsurface so related to the first surface that the first and secondsurfaces are front and rear surfaces of the circuit substrate, that theacceleration sensor and an illuminator are provided on the firstsurface, and that a biological information measuring section thatmeasures biological information is provided on the second surface.

According to this application example, the lengths of routed wiringlines for connection between the components described above and thecircuit substrate can be minimized, and the circuit substrate blocks thelight outputted from the illuminator, whereby the influence of the straylight on the biological information measuring section can be reduced.

Application Example 11

In the portable electronic apparatus according to the applicationexample, it is preferable that the biological information measuringsection includes a light emitter and a light receiver, and that thelight emitter is disposed outside the light receiver in the plan view.

According to this application example, the arrangement in which thelight receiver is located in a position inside the light emitter canprevent outside light from entering the light receiver, whereby theinfluence of the outside light on the biological information measuringsection can be reduced.

Application Example 12

A wrist apparatus according to this application example includes a case,a display section incorporated in the case and having a display surfaceon which information is displayed, a solar battery disposed outside thedisplay surface in a plan view along a normal to the display surface,and an acceleration sensor incorporated in the case and disposed in aposition where the acceleration sensor overlaps with the solar batteryin the plan view.

In the wrist apparatus according to this application example, theacceleration sensor is disposed in a position where the accelerationsensor overlaps with the solar battery, which is disposed outside thedisplay surface of the display section, in the plan view along thedirection of a normal to the display section. In other words, since theacceleration sensor is disposed in a position close to the outercircumference (inner edge) of the case, the acceleration sensor canreliably capture and sense vibration produced when the case is tapped.The configuration described above allows a sufficiently wide lightreceiving surface of the solar battery to be provided and the tappingdetection precision to be increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an overview of anactivity assisting system that incorporates a wrist apparatus as aportable electronic apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an exterior perspective view showing a schematic configurationof the wrist apparatus viewed from the side facing the front sidethereof (display surface side).

FIG. 3 is an exterior perspective view showing the schematicconfiguration of the wrist apparatus viewed from the side facing therear side thereof.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the wristapparatus.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the configuration of the wrist apparatus.

FIG. 5B is a plan view showing Variation 1 of panels of a solar battery.

FIG. 5C is a plan view showing Variation 2 of the panels of the solarbattery.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configurationof the wrist apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a first example of thearrangement of components of the wrist apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a second example of thearrangement of the components of the wrist apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing Variation 1 of the arrangement of thesolar battery and an acceleration sensor.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing Variation 2 of the arrangement of thesolar battery and the acceleration sensor.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing Variation 3 of the arrangement of thesolar battery and the acceleration sensor.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing Variation 4 of the arrangement of thesolar battery and the acceleration sensor.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A system according to an embodiment of the invention will be describedbelow. It is not intended that the embodiment described below undulylimits the contents of the invention set forth in the appended claims.Further, all configurations described in the embodiment are notnecessarily essential configuration requirements of the invention.

1. Approach of Present Embodiment

An activity assisting system as an example of the system thatincorporates a portable electronic apparatus according to the embodimentof the invention will first be described. In the following description,as an example of the portable electronic apparatus, a wrist apparatus(wearable apparatus) including, for example, a pulse wave sensor and abody motion sensor and worn around a user's wrist will be described byway of example.

The wrist apparatus as the portable electronic apparatus used in theactivity assisting system includes a solar battery on the side where adisplay section is provided and further includes a pulse wave sensorthat acquires pulse wave information as the user's biologicalinformation and a body motion sensor that acquires the user's actioninformation. The wrist apparatus further includes a GPS (globalpositioning system) as an example of a positioning system using positioninformation satellites and called, for example, a global navigationsatellite system (GNSS) that acquires information on the user'sposition. The portable electronic apparatus is not limited to a wristapparatus and may instead be a wearable apparatus worn on the neck, anankle, or any other user's body part.

The pulse wave sensor as an example of a biological informationmeasuring section can acquire the pulse rate and other pieces of pulsewave information. The pulse wave sensor can, for example, be aphotoelectric sensor (optical sensor). In this case, it is conceivableto use, for example, an approach for irradiating a living body withlight and detecting the light reflected off or passing through theliving body with the photoelectric sensor. Since the amount of radiatedlight absorbed by or reflected off the living body varies in accordancewith the amount of blood flowing through a blood vessel, sensorinformation detected with the photoelectric sensor produces a signalcorresponding, for example, to the amount of blood flow, and analysis ofthe signal allows acquisition of information on the beat. The pulse wavesensor is not limited to a photoelectric sensor and may instead be anelectrocardiograph, an ultrasonic sensor, or any other sensor.

The photoelectric sensor (optical sensor) needs to receive necessarylight and block unnecessary light. In the case of a pulse wave sensor,it is necessary to receive light reflected off a subject that is atarget object under measurement (body part containing blood vessel undermeasurement, in particular) and containing a pulse wave component butblock the remaining light that forms noise components.

The body motion sensor is a sensor that detects the user's body motion.Conceivable examples of the body motion sensor may include anacceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an orientation sensor(geomagnetism sensor), and a pressure sensor (altitude sensor). The bodymotion sensor may instead be any other sensor.

The GPS is also called a global positioning system and is a satellitepositioning system for measuring the user's current position on theearth based on a plurality of satellite signals. The GPS has thefunction of performing positioning calculation by using GPS timeinformation and orbit information to acquire information on the user'sposition and a time correction function as one of the functions of thetimepiece.

2. Activity Assisting System

The configuration of the activity assisting system that incorporates thewrist apparatus as the portable electronic apparatus will next bedescribed with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic configurationdiagram showing an overview of the activity assisting system thatincorporates the wrist apparatus as the portable electronic apparatus.

An activity assisting system 100 according to the present embodimentincludes a wrist apparatus 200, which serves as the portable electronicapparatus, which is a detector including a pulse wave sensor as abiological sensor (photoelectric sensor), an acceleration sensor as thebody motion sensor, the GPS, and other components, a portable apparatus300 as an activity assistant, and a server 400 as an informationprocessor connected to the portable apparatus 300 over a network NE, asshown in FIG. 1.

The GPS as the global navigation satellite system provided in the wristapparatus 200 has the function of receiving electronic waves from GPSsatellites 8 to correct internal time of the wrist apparatus 200 and thefunction of performing positioning calculation to acquire positioninformation. The GPS satellites 8 are each an example of a positioninformation satellite that goes along a predetermined orbit around theearth up in the sky and each transmit a high-frequency electric wave onwhich a navigation message has been superimposed to the ground. In thefollowing description, the electric wave on which a navigation messagehas been superimposed is called a satellite signal.

The satellite signal from each of the GPS satellites 8 contains GPS timeinformation, which is extremely accurate, and time correction parametersfor correcting a time error. The wrist apparatus 200 can receive thesatellite signal (electric wave) transmitted from one of the GPSsatellites 8 and use the GPS time information and the time correctionparameters contained in the satellite signal to acquire timeinformation.

The satellite signal further contains orbit information representing theon-orbit position of the GPS satellite 8. The wrist apparatus 200 canuse the GPS time information and the orbit information to perform thepositioning calculation. The positioning calculation is performed on theassumption that the internal time of the wrist apparatus 200 contains anerror of a certain degree. That is, in addition to parameters x, y, andz for identifying the three-dimensional position of the wrist apparatus200, the time error is also unknown. The wrist apparatus 200 cantherefore receive the satellites signals (electric waves) transmittedfrom, for example, at least three of the GPS satellites 8 and use theGPS time information and the orbit information contained in thesatellite signals to perform the positioning calculation for acquisitionof information on the position of the user's current location.

The portable apparatus 300 as the activity assistant can, for example,be a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The portable apparatus 300 isconnected to the wrist apparatus 200, which includes the pulse wavesensor as the biological sensor, which is a photoelectric sensor, andthe acceleration sensor as the body motion sensor, over short-rangewireless communication, which can, for example, be Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) communication, or wired communication (not shown). Theportable apparatus 300 can receive measurement information from thewrist apparatus 200 and notify processed information on the user's pulsewave and body motion, the position information, or other pieces ofinformation. It is, however, noted that the portable apparatus 300 canbe embodied in a variety of forms. For example, the portable apparatus300 may include an optical sensor section 40, a body motion sensorsection 170 or a GPS receiver 160, which are provided in the wristapparatus 200 and will be described later.

The wrist apparatus 200 and the portable apparatus 300 in the presentembodiment each have the Bluetooth function, and the portable apparatus300 and the wrist apparatus 200 are connected to each other overBluetooth communication, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (also calledBluetooth 4.0). Bluetooth Low Energy, in which power saving is regardedas important, allows significant power saving as compared withconventional Bluetooth versions, whereby the wrist apparatus can be usedfor a prolonged period.

The portable apparatus 300 can further be connected to the server 400,such as a PC (personal computer) and a server system, over the networkNE. The network NE in this case can be a WAN (wide area network), a LAN(local area network), a mobile phone communication circuit, short-rangewireless communication, or any of a variety of other networks NE. Inthis case, the server 400 is achieved as a processor/storage thatreceives the information on the pulse wave and body motion measured bythe wrist apparatus 200 and the data processed by the portable apparatus300 from the portable apparatus 300 over the network NE and stores thereceived information.

In the embodiment described above, the wrist apparatus 200 only needs tobe communicable with the portable apparatus 300 and does not need to bedirectly connected to the network NE. The configuration of the wristapparatus 200 can therefore be simplified. It is, however, noted thatthe activity assisting system 100 can employ a variation in which theportable apparatus 300 is omitted and the wrist apparatus 200 and theserver 400 are directly connected to each other. In this case, the wristapparatus 200 has the functions of the portable apparatus 300, that is,the function of processing the measurement information and the functionof transmitting the measurement information to the server 400 andreceiving information from the server 400.

The activity assisting system 100 is not limited to a system achieved bythe configuration including the server 400. For example, the processescarried out by the activity assisting system 100 and the functionsprovided by the activity assisting system 100 may be achieved by theportable apparatus 300. The portable apparatus 300, such as asmartphone, which has restricted processing performance, storage area,and battery capacity in many cases as compared with a server system, isbelieved to be capable of providing sufficient processing performanceand the other requirements in consideration of improvement inperformance in recent years. Therefore, as long as the processingperformance and the other requirements are satisfied, the processescarried out and the functions provided by the activity assisting system100 according to the present embodiment can be achieved by the portableapparatus 300 alone.

Further, the activity assisting system 100 according to the presentembodiment is not limited to a system achieved by the three units. Forexample, the activity assisting system 100 may include at least two ofthe wrist apparatus 200, the portable apparatus 300, and the server 400.In this case, the processes carried out by the activity assisting system100 may be carried out by any one of the units or may be carried out bythe plurality of units in a distributed manner. Further, no restrictionon inclusion of an apparatus other than the wrist apparatus 200, theportable apparatus 300, and the server 400 is imposed on the activityassisting system 100 according to the present embodiment. Moreover, inconsideration of improvement in terminal performance, terminal usageform, and other factors, an embodiment in which the wrist apparatus 200achieves the activity assisting system 100 according to the presentembodiment can be employed.

Further, the activity assisting system 100 according to the presentembodiment includes a memory that stores information (program andvarious data, for example) and a processor that operates based on theinformation stored in the memory. The processor may achieve the functionof each portion of the activity assisting system 100 with the aid ofindividual hardware or unitary hardware. The processor may, for example,be a central processing unit (CPU). The processor is, however, notlimited to a CPU and can instead be a GPU (graphics processing unit), aDSP (digital signal processor), or any of a variety of other processors.The processor may still instead be an ASIC-based hardware circuit. Thememory may, for example, be an SRAM (static random access memory), aDRAM (dynamic random access memory), or any other semiconductor memory,a register, a hard disk drive or any other magnetic storage, or anoptical disk drive or any other optical storage. For example, the memorystores computer readable instructions, and the processor executes theinstructions to achieve the functions of the portions of the activityassisting system 100. The instructions may be instructions that form aprogram or may be instructions that instruct the hardware circuit of theprocessor to operate.

3. Wrist Apparatus

The configuration of the wrist apparatus (measurement apparatus) as theportable electronic apparatus will next be described with reference toFIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5A, 6, 7, and 8. FIG. 2 is an exterior perspective viewshowing a schematic configuration of the wrist apparatus viewed from theside facing the front side thereof (display surface side). FIG. 3 is anexterior perspective view showing the schematic configuration of thewrist apparatus viewed from the side facing the rear side thereof. FIG.4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the wristapparatus. FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the configuration of the wristapparatus. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the schematicconfiguration of the wrist apparatus. FIG. 7 is a partialcross-sectional view showing a first example of the arrangement ofcomponents of the wrist apparatus. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectionalview showing a second example of the arrangement of the components ofthe wrist apparatus.

In the following description of the wrist apparatus 200, in a situationin which the user wears an apparatus body 30, the side facing a targetobject that is a body part under measurement, for example, of biologicalinformation is called “a rear side or a rear surface side,” and thedisplay surface side of the apparatus body 30, which is the sideopposite the target object side, is called “a front side or a frontsurface side.” A “target object (target body part)” under measurement iscalled a “subject” in some cases. A coordinate system is set withrespect to a case 31 of the wrist apparatus 200 with the origin of thecoordinate system set at the center of the display surface of a displaysection 50, and the display surface of the display section 50 is calledthe front surface. Under the definition described above, a directionthat intersects the display surface of the display section 50 andextends from the rear surface toward the front surface of the displaysection 50 is called a Z-axis positive direction (+Z-axis direction).The Z-axis positive direction may instead be defined to be a directionextending from the optical sensor section 40 toward the display section50 or the direction away from the case 31 along a normal to lightreceiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d of panels that form asolar battery 80. In the state in which the wrist apparatus 200 is wornon a subject, the Z-axis positive direction described above correspondsto the direction from the subject toward the case 31. Two axesperpendicular to the Z axis are called X and Y axes, and the Y axis, inparticular, is so set as to coincide with the direction in which bandsections 10 are attached to the case 31. The light receiving surfaces 80a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d are each a surface via which light enters thesolar battery 80. In the present specification, the display section 50collectively represents regions which are visually recognizable througha windshield 55 in the +Z-axis direction and where information isdisplayed on a liquid crystal display (display panel 60). The displaysurface of the display section 50 is a surface located on the front side(side where windshield 55 is disposed) of the liquid crystal display(display panel 60).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wrist apparatus 200, with the bandsections 10 fixed thereto, viewed in the +Z-axis direction or from thefront side (side facing display section 50) opposite the rear side orthe subject side in the state in which the wrist apparatus 200 is worn.FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wrist apparatus 200 viewed in the−Z-axis direction or from the rear side opposite the viewing side inFIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wrist apparatus 200viewed in the +Y-axis direction. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the wristapparatus 200 viewed in the +Z-axis direction.

The wrist apparatus 200 as the portable electronic apparatus is worn onthe user's predetermined body part (body part under measurement, forexample, wrist), as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 and detects the pulsewave information, the body motion information, the position information,and other pieces of information. The wrist apparatus 200 includes theapparatus body 30, which includes the case 31 and detects the pulse waveinformation, the body motion information, and other pieces ofinformation with the apparatus body 30 being in intimate contact withthe user, and the pair of band sections 10, which are attached to theapparatus body 30 and allow the user to wear the apparatus body 30.

The apparatus body 30 including the case 31 is provided with the displaysection 50, the solar battery 80, which has an annular shape and havingthe light receiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d of the panelsdisposed in an outer edge portion of the display section 50 and orientedin the +Z-axis direction, and a measurement window 45, which correspondsto the optical sensor section 40 (see FIG. 4) as the biologicalinformation measuring section. The display section 50 may be so disposedas to overlap with part of the solar battery 80 in a plan view in the+Z-axis direction (direction of normal to light receiving surfaces 80 a,80 b, 80 c, and 80 d). It is, however, noted that the solar battery 80is so disposed as not to overlap with the region (display surface) whereinformation is displayed on the liquid crystal display (display panel60). A plurality of operation sections (operation buttons) 58 areprovided on the outer side surface of the apparatus body 30, and a bezel57 is so provided and disposed as to annularly surround the outer edgeof the display section 50. It is, however, noted that the wristapparatus 200 does not necessarily have the configuration describedabove and can be changed in a variety of manners. For example, part ofthe components described above can be omitted, and another component canbe added to the wrist apparatus 200.

The apparatus body 30 includes the case 31, which has an opening section31 s, which opens toward the front side. The rear side of the case 31,specifically, a top portion of a convex section 32, which protrudes fromthe rear surface or the rear-side surface of the case 31, is providedwith the measurement window 45 of the optical sensor section 40. In theplan view in the +Z-axis direction, the optical sensor section 40 as thebiological information measuring section is disposed in a positioncorresponding to the measurement window 45, and a transparent cover 44is inserted into the measurement window 45. The transparent cover 44 mayprotrude from the top portion of the convex section 32. Further, in theplan view in the +Z-axis direction, the measurement window 45 ispreferably located in a position where the measurement window 45 doesnot overlap with the solar battery 80. The arrangement in which themeasurement window 45 of the optical sensor section 40 is located in aposition where the measurement window 45 does not overlap with the solarbattery 80 increases the distance from the outer circumferential edge ofthe case 31 to the optical sensor section 40, and outside light istherefore unlikely to reach the optical sensor section 40, wherebyentrance of outside light into the measurement window 45 can besuppressed, and decrease in precision of the detection performed by theoptical sensor section 40 can therefore be avoided.

The case 31 can be made, for example, of stainless steel or any othermetal or a resin material. The case 31 is not limited to a unitary caseand may have a configuration in which the case 31 is divided into aplurality of portions. For example, the case 31 may have a twin-bodystructure in which a case back is provided on the side worn on the user.

The apparatus body 30 is provided with the bezel 57 along the outer edgeof the opening section 31 s, which is formed in the case 31 and locatedon the front side of the apparatus body 30, and on the side facing theouter circumference of a protruding section 34, which protrudes uprightin the +Z-axis direction, and the windshield (glass plate in presentexample) 55, which is provided inside the bezel 57 and is a transparentplate as a top plate portion that protects the internal structure of theapparatus body 30. The windshield 55 is so disposed as to close theopening of the case 31 in the plan view in the direction that intersectsthe light receiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d of the solarbattery 80 at right angles, in other words, in the +Z-axis direction.The windshield 55 is attached to the inner edge side of the protrudingsection 34 of the case 31 via a bonding member 56, such as a gasket oran adhesive. An internal space 36, which is a closed space, is providedin the case 31 and surrounded by the case 31 and the windshield 55,which closes the opening of the case 31.

The windshield 55 is not limited to a glass plate and can instead bemade, for example, of a transparent plastic material or any materialother than glass as long as the windshield 55 is a light transmissivemember that allows observation of the display section 50 and is strongenough to be able to protect element parts accommodated in the internalspace 36, such as the liquid crystal display (display panel 60) thatforms the display section 50.

The internal space 36 in the case 31 accommodates the following elementparts that form the wrist apparatus 200: a circuit substrate 20; anorientation sensor 22 and an acceleration sensor 23 contained in thebody motion sensor section 170 (see FIG. 6); a GPS antenna 28; theoptical sensor section 40; the liquid crystal display (hereinafterreferred to as display panel 60) that forms the display section 50; anilluminator 61, which illuminates the display panel 60; a secondarybattery 70 (lithium secondary battery); the solar battery 80; and othercomponents, as shown in FIG. 4. The apparatus body 30, however, does notnecessarily have the configuration shown in FIG. 4. For example, anatmospheric pressure sensor for calculating the altitude and otherparameters, an air temperature sensor for measuring the temperature, andother sensors, a vibrator, and other components may be added to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 4. The following components are connected tothe circuit substrate 20: wiring lines connected to the element partsdescribed above; a CPU (central processing unit) 21, which serves as aprocessing section including a control circuit including a controlcircuit, a drive circuit, and other components that control the sensors,the display section 50, and other components that form the wristapparatus 200; and another circuit element 24. The CPU 21 as theprocessing section can process signals detected with the sensors, forexample, the optical sensor section 40 and the acceleration sensor 23.The orientation sensor 22 and the acceleration sensor 23 may beconnected to the circuit substrate 20.

Out of the element parts that are arranged in the internal space 36 andform the wrist apparatus 200, the circuit substrate 20, the opticalsensor section 40, the display panel 60, the secondary battery 70, andthe solar battery 80 are disposed in the following order from the sidefacing the windshield 55 in the −Z-axis direction: the solar battery 80;the display panel 60; the circuit substrate 20; the secondary battery70; and the optical sensor section 40. The solar battery 80 is sodisposed as to cover at least part of the display section 50.

The configuration described above in which the display panel 60, whichforms the display section 50, is disposed between the solar battery 80and the circuit substrate 20 in the case 31 allows the user to readilyvisually recognize information displayed in the display section 50without the circuit substrate 20 blocking the displayed information.

Further, the configuration in which the display panel 60, which formsthe display section 50, is disposed between the solar battery 80 and theoptical sensor section 40 in the case 31 allows the display panel 60 toblock what is called stray light that is produced when part of lightintended for power generation and traveling toward the solar battery 80forms leakage light that enters the case 31 from the side facing thesolar battery 80, for example, through gaps, whereby the influence ofthe outside light (stray light) on the optical sensor section 40 can bereduced.

Further, the configuration in which the secondary battery 70 is disposedbetween the display section 50 and the optical sensor section 40 in thecase 31 allows the secondary battery 70 to block the stray light, whichis produced when part of the light incident for power generation entersthe case 31 from the side facing the solar battery 80, whereby theinfluence of the outside light on the optical sensor section 40 can bereduced.

In the cross-sectional view viewed in the −Y-axis direction, which isthe direction perpendicular to the +Z-axis direction (direction ofnormal to light receiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d), thecircuit substrate 20, the optical sensor section 40, and the solarbattery 80 are preferably so disposed that the distance L1 between thecircuit substrate 20 and the optical sensor section 40 (shortestdistance between circuit substrate 20 and optical sensor section 40) isshorter than the distance L2 between the circuit substrate 20 and thesolar battery 80 (shortest distance between circuit substrate 20 andsolar battery 80), as shown in FIG. 7. When the distance L2 between thecircuit substrate 20 and the solar battery 80 increases as describedabove, the solar battery 80 is unlikely to be affected by heat generatedby the circuit substrate 20 or any other component thereon. That is, anincrease in the temperature of the solar battery 80 can be suppressed,whereby a decrease in power generation efficiency of the solar battery80 can be suppressed.

Instead, in the cross-sectional view viewed in the −Y-axis direction,which is the direction perpendicular to the +Z-axis direction (directionof normal to light receiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d), thecircuit substrate 20, the optical sensor section 40, and the solarbattery 80 may be so disposed that the distance L1 between the circuitsubstrate 20 and the optical sensor section 40 (shortest distancebetween circuit substrate 20 and optical sensor section 40) is longerthan the distance L2 between the circuit substrate 20 and the solarbattery 80 (shortest distance between circuit substrate 20 and solarbattery 80), as shown in FIG. 8. When the distance L2 between thecircuit substrate 20 and the solar battery 80 decreases as describedabove, the amount of the electric power generated by the solar battery80 but lost during the transmission of the electric power can besuppressed, whereby the electricity charge efficiency can be increased.

The configuration in which the circuit substrate 20 is disposed betweenthe solar battery 80 and the optical sensor section 40 in the case 31allows the circuit substrate 20 to block what is called stray light thatis produced when part of the light intended for power generation andtraveling toward the solar battery 80 forms leakage light that entersthe case 31 from the side facing the solar battery 80, for example,through gaps, whereby the influence of the outside light (stray light)on the optical sensor section 40 can be reduced.

The element parts will each be described below with reference also tothe functional block diagram shown in FIG. 6.

The circuit substrate 20 has a front surface 20 f, which serves as afirst surface, and a rear surface 20 r, which serves as a secondsurface, is so related to the front surface 20 f that they are front andrear surfaces of the circuit substrate 20, and is a surface opposite thefront surface 20 f. The outer-circumferential-side end of the circuitsubstrate 20 is attached to a circuit case 75, which is a circuit fixingsection, and the circuit substrate 20 is supported by the inner side ofthe case 31 via the circuit case 75. On the front surface 20 f of thecircuit substrate 20 are mounted the orientation sensor 22 and theacceleration sensor 23, which serve as the sensors accommodated in thebody motion sensor section 170, the CPU 21, which serves as the controlcircuit, and other components, and the components mounted on the frontsurface 20 f are electrically connected to each other. Since the outercircumference of the circuit substrate 20 is supported by the case 31,vibration from the case 31 is likely to be transmitted to theacceleration sensor 23, which is connected to the circuit substrate 20,whereby tapping operation and other types of operation can be sensedwith the acceleration sensor 23 with increased precision. Further, theother circuit element 24 and other components are electrically connectedto and mounted on the rear surface 20 r of the circuit substrate 20.

The display panel 60 and the solar battery 80 are connected to the frontsurface 20 f of the circuit substrate 20 via a connection wiring section63 and a connection wiring section 81, respectively, which are eachformed, for example, of a flexible substrate. The optical sensor section40 is electrically connected to the rear surface 20 r of the circuitsubstrate 20, which is the surface opposite the front surface 20 f, viaa connection wiring section 46, which is formed, for example, of aflexible substrate. The arrangement described above allows the lengthsof routed wiring lines for the connection between the componentsdescribed above and the circuit substrate 20 to be minimized and allowsthe circuit substrate 20 to block the stray light, which is producedwhen the light incident for power generation forms leakage light thatenters the case from the side facing the solar battery 80, whereby theinfluence of the outside light on the optical sensor section 40 can bereduced. The circuit case 75 can guide the secondary battery 70 andother components.

The orientation sensor (geomagnetism sensor) 22 and the accelerationsensor 23 accommodated in the body motion sensor section 170 can detectinformation on the user's body motion, that is, the body motioninformation. The orientation sensor (geomagnetism sensor) 22 and theacceleration sensor 23 each output a body motion detection signal thatis a signal changing in accordance with the user's movement, turnaround,and other types of body motion and transmit the signal to the CPU 21,which serves as the processing section including the control circuit.The acceleration sensor 23 can not only sense the user's action, such asthe user's movement, but sense, for example, what is called a tappingaction that is the user's action of tapping with a fingertip an outercircumferential portion of the case 31, the windshield 55, or any otherportion to apply light impact to the case 31 for expression of theuser's intention of operation.

The acceleration sensor 23 is preferably disposed in a position where atleast part of the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps with the solar battery80 in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 5A. Inother words, the acceleration sensor 23 is preferably mounted on theouter circumferential side of the circuit substrate 20, in other words,in a position close to the inner wall (inner circumference) of the case.When the acceleration sensor 23 is disposed as described above, theimpact produced, for example, by the tapping action performed on thecase 31 is likely to propagate to the acceleration sensor 23 via thecircuit substrate 20, the outer circumference of which is supported bythe case 31, whereby the precision of the sensing performed by theacceleration sensor 23 can be further increased.

The CPU 21 as the processing section forms, for example, the controlcircuit, which control a circuit that controls the GPS reception section160 including the GPS antenna 28, a circuit that drives the opticalsensor section 40 to measure the pulse wave, a circuit that drives thedisplay section 50 (display panel 60), a circuit that drives the bodymotion sensor section 170 and processes a signal detected by the bodymotion sensor section 170 to acquire the body motion information, and apower generation circuit in the solar battery 80. The CPU 21 thentransmits the pulse wave information and the body motion informationeach detected at a body part, information on the user's position, or anyother piece of information to a communication section 29 as required.

The GPS antenna 28 is accommodated along with a signal processingsection 66 in the GPS reception section 160 and receives a plurality ofsatellite signals. The signal processing section 66 performs thepositioning calculation based on the plurality of satellite signalsreceived via the GSP antenna 28 to acquire the information on the user'sposition.

The communication section 29 transmits the pulse wave information andthe body motion information or the information on the user's positiontransmitted from the CPU 21 to the portable apparatus 300 and othercomponents as required.

The optical sensor section 40 as the biological information measuringsection detects, for example, the pulse wave and includes a lightreceiver 41 and a plurality of (two in present embodiment) lightemitters 42 disposed on opposite sides of the light receiver 41, inother words, outside the light receiver 41 in the plan view (outercircumferential side of case 31). The arrangement in which the lightreceiver 41 is located in between the light emitters 42 can preventoutside light that enters the case 31 through the outer circumferencethereof from entering the light receiver 41, whereby the influence ofthe outside light on the optical sensor section 40 can be reduced. Thenumber of light emitters 42 is not limited to two and may instead be oneor three or greater. The light receiver 41 and the two light emitters 42are attached to one surface of a sensor substrate 43 and covered withthe transparent cover 44, which is formed of a light transmissive memberthat is made, for example, of a photocurable resin. The transparentcover 44, specifically, a portion including a region corresponding tothe light receiver 41 and the two light emitters 42 is inserted into themeasurement window 45 provided in the case 31. The transparent cover 44may protrude beyond the top portion of the convex section 32 of the case31.

The optical sensor section 40 can detect pulse wave information based onthe configuration in which a subject (target object under measurement)is irradiated with the light emitted from the light emitters 42 and thereflected light is received with the light receiver 41, as describedabove. The optical sensor section 40 outputs, as a pulse detectionsignal, a signal detected with the pulse wave sensor including the lightemitters 42 and the light receiver 41. The optical sensor section 40 is,for example, formed of a photoelectric sensor. In this case, it isconceivable to employ, for example, an approach for irradiating a livingbody (user's wrist) with the light from the light emitters 42 anddetecting the light reflected off or passing through the living bodywith the light receiver 41. In this approach, since the amount ofradiated light absorbed by or reflected off the living body varies inaccordance with the amount of blood flowing through a blood vessel,sensor information detected with the photoelectric sensor produces asignal corresponding, for example, to the amount of blood flow, andanalysis of the signal allows acquisition of information on the beat.The pulse wave sensor is not limited to a photoelectric sensor and mayinstead be an electrocardiograph, an ultrasonic sensor, or any othersensor.

The optical sensor section 40 is disposed in a position where theoptical sensor section 40 does not overlap with the solar battery 80,which is formed in an annular shape, in the plan view in the directionthat intersects the light receiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 dof the solar battery 80 at right angles (+Z-axis direction), as shown inFIG. 5A. In other words, the solar battery 80 is disposed outside theouter edge of the optical sensor section 40 and is therefore disposed ina position where the solar battery 80 and the optical sensor section 40do not overlap with each other in the plan view in the +Z-axisdirection. In still other words, the solar battery 80 is disposedbetween the bezel 57 and the optical sensor section 40 in the plan viewin the +Z-axis direction. The outer edge of the optical sensor section40 is preferably the outer edge of the hatched region shown in FIG. 5Aat least containing the outer edges of the light receiver 41 and the twolight emitters 42 and formed of the outer edges connected to each other.In the present embodiment, the outer edge of the measurement window 45,which contains the light receiver 41 and the two light emitters 42, canbe the outer edge of the optical sensor section 40. The outer edge ofthe sensor substrate 43 may instead be the outer edge of the opticalsensor section 40. Still instead, the outer edge of the transparentcover 44 may be the outer edge of the optical sensor section 40. Theconfiguration in which the optical sensor section 40 is surrounded bythe solar battery 80 can include a configuration in which the opticalsensor section 40 is surrounded by a plurality of solar batteries 80,that is, the solar battery 80 may be divided into a plurality ofportions or may have cutouts. The configuration in which “the opticalsensor section 40 is surrounded by the solar battery 80” can be definedas follows: Perpendiculars are drawn to the outer edge of the opticalsensor section 40 in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction; and atleast 50% of the optical sensor section allows the perpendiculars tointersect the solar battery 80. The configuration in which “the opticalsensor section 40 is surrounded by the solar battery 80” can instead bedefined as follows: A concentric circle is drawn around the center ofgravity of the optical sensor section 40 in the plan view in the +Z-axisdirection; and at least 50% of the circumference of the concentriccircle overlaps with the solar battery 80.

As described above, the annularly arranged solar battery 80 is sodisposed outside the outer edge of the optical sensor section 40 as tosurround the optical sensor section 40 in the plan view in the +Z-axisdirection. In other words, the configuration in which the optical sensorsection 40 is disposed in a central portion of the case 31 in the planview can suppress the influence of the outside light (leakage light) onthe optical sensor section 40. The solar battery 80 can therefore bedisposed with no decrease in precision of the detection performed by theoptical sensor section 40. Further, since the solar battery 80 isdisposed outside the outer edge of the optical sensor section 40 in theplan view, the optical sensor section 40 and the solar battery 80 are soarranged in a further well-balanced manner that the optical sensorsection 40 readily performs the sensing and the solar battery 80efficiently generates electric power, whereby the apparatus body 30 ofthe wrist apparatus 200 can be worn on the user in an improved manner.The outer edge of the transparent cover 44 may instead be the outer edgeof the optical sensor section 40. The configuration in which “theoptical sensor section 40 does not overlap with the solar battery 80”refers to a situation in which an area S, where the solar battery 80 andthe optical sensor section 40 overlap with each other in the plan viewin the +Z-axis direction, is zero. The configuration in which “theoptical sensor section 40 is surrounded by the solar battery 80” caninclude a configuration in which the optical sensor section 40 issurrounded by a plurality of solar batteries 80, that is, the solarbattery 80 may be divided into a plurality of portions or may havecutouts. The configuration in which “the optical sensor section 40 issurrounded by the solar battery 80” can be defined as follows: A linesegment is drawn from an arbitrary point on the outer edge of the solarbattery 80 to another arbitrary point on the outer edge, and the linesegment overlaps with the solar battery 80 in the plan view in the+Z-axis direction.

At least part of the optical sensor section 40 is preferably so disposedas to overlap with the center of gravity G of the solar battery 80 inthe plan view in the +Z-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 5A. Thearrangement of the optical sensor section 40 and the solar battery 80allows good balance of the apparatus body 30 (position of center ofgravity), whereby the apparatus body 30 can be worn on the user in animproved manner. The center of gravity G can be in other words expressedby the center of mass, and in the case of a three-dimensional object,the center of gravity is defined in the structure of thethree-dimensional object or defined in the space thereof in some cases.The configuration in which “at least part of the optical sensor sectionis overlaps with the center of gravity” can be defined as a state inwhich they overlap with each other when viewed in a predetermineddirection and in a case where the position of the center of gravity isprojected on a two-dimensional flat surface or a predetermined targetobject.

The display section 50 is configured to allow the user to visuallyrecognize, via the windshield 55, a numeral or an icon displayed on adisplay element, such as the display panel 60 provided immediately belowthe windshield 55, a time displaying hand, or any other piece ofdisplayed information. That is, in the present embodiment, detectedbiological information, information representing a detected activitystate, time information, or any of a variety of other pieces ofinformation is displayed by using the display panel 60, and thedisplayed information is presented to the user on the front side of thedisplay section 50 (in +Z-axis direction). As the display element, thedisplay panel 60, which is a liquid crystal display, can be replaced,for example, with an organic electro-luminescence (EL) display, anelectrophoretic display (EPD), or an LED (light emitting diode) display.

The illuminator 61 functions as a backlight that illuminates the displaypanel 60. The illuminator 61 is connected to the front surface 20 f,which serves as the first surface, of the circuit substrate 20. Sincethe illuminator 61 is connected to the circuit substrate 20 as describedabove, the lengths of routed wiring lines for the connection between theilluminator 61 and the circuit substrate 20 can be minimized, and thecircuit substrate 20 blocks the light outputted from the illuminator 61,whereby the influence of the stray light on the optical sensor section40 can be reduced.

The secondary battery 70, specifically, the positive and negativeterminals thereof are connected to the circuit substrate 20, forexample, via a connection substrate (not shown) and supplies a powersupply controlling circuit with electric power. The secondary battery 70is electrically connected to the solar battery 80 via the circuitsubstrate 20. The electric power is converted by the power supplycontrolling circuit into predetermined voltage or otherwise processedand supplied to each circuit in the apparatus body 30 to operate, forexample, the circuit that drives the optical sensor section 40 to detectthe pulse, the circuit that drives the display panel 60, the controlcircuit that controls the circuits described above (CPU 21). Thesecondary battery 70 is charged via a pair of charging terminalselectrically continuous with the circuit substrate 20 with the aid of aconducting member (not shown), such as a coil spring, or by using theelectric power generated by the solar battery 80.

The secondary battery 70 is preferably disposed in a position where thesecondary battery 70 does not overlap with the solar battery 80 in theplan view in the +Z-axis direction. When the secondary battery 70 isdisposed in a position where the secondary battery 70 does not overlapwith the solar battery 80 in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction, thesolar battery 80 is unlikely to be affected by heat generated when thesecondary battery 70 is charged, so that an increase in the temperatureof the solar battery 80 can be suppressed, whereby the power generationefficiency of the solar battery 80 can be increased.

The solar battery (solar cell) 80 uses the photovoltaic effect toconvert the optical energy of outside light, such as sunlight, intoelectric power for power generation. The solar battery 80 in the presentembodiment is disposed between the windshield 55 and the display panel60 and disposed in the form of four divided panels, and the lightreceiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d of the panels are sodisposed as to be oriented in the +Z-axis direction. The solar battery80 is located in an outer circumferential portion including the outeredge of the display panel 60 (outer edge portion of display section 50),in other words, located on the outer circumferential side of the case 31and has what is called an annular shape (ring-like shape) having athrough hole at a central portion.

Specifically, the solar battery 80 is located in a position close to theopening section 31 s of the case 31, and has a circular outercircumference 80 os along the opening section 31 s, a circular innercircumference 80 is, the perimeter of which is shorter than that of theouter circumference 80 os, and sets of two side edges 80 ss connectingthe outer circumference 80 os and the inner circumference 80 _(is) toeach other on opposite sides of each of the panels that form the solarbattery 80, and is disposed above an outer circumferential portion ofthe display panel 60, as shown in FIG. 5A. That is, the panels havingthe light receiving surfaces 80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d also each havean inner circumference the perimeter of which is shorter than that ofthe outer circumference. In other words, it can be said that theconcentric circle of the solar battery 80 having a shorter radius is theinner circumference and the concentric circle of the solar battery 80having a longer radius is the outer circumference in the plan view inthe +Z-axis direction. The solar battery 80 in the present embodiment isso configured that the four panels having the light receiving surfaces80 a, 80 b, 80 c, and 80 d are arranged along the opening section 31 sof the case 31. The outer circumferences 80 os and the innercircumferences 80 is of the four panels, which forms the solar battery80, may be summed to form the outer circumference and the innercircumference of the solar battery 80. The arrangement of the annularsolar battery 80 allows, for example, efficient arrangement of thedisplay area of the display section 50, whereby the exterior appearanceof the wrist apparatus 200 can be improved.

In the configuration described above, the annular solar battery 80formed of the four panels is presented by way of example. The solarbattery 80 may instead be formed of a unitary panel. In the case wherethe solar battery 80 is formed of a plurality of panels, the number ofpanels can be an arbitrary number. Further, the solar battery 80 may beformed of a film instead of a panel.

The panels that form the solar battery 80 may have any shape that doesnot compromise the visibility of the display section 50 or the exteriorappearance of the wrist apparatus 200. Examples of the shape of thepanels will be described as variations shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C. FIG. 5Bis a plan view showing Variation 1 of the panels of the solar battery,and FIG. 5C is a plan view showing Variation 2 of the panels of thesolar battery.

A solar battery 80A according to Variation 1 shown in FIG. 5B by way ofexample is formed of panels having light receiving surfaces 80 aa, 80ba, 80 ca, and 80 da with the outer circumference of each of the panelshalved, and the solar battery 80A as a whole has linear outercircumferential edges s1, s2, s3, s4, s5, s6, s7, and s8, which areequally divided eight circumferential edges. Specifically, the outercircumferential edges s1, s2, s3, s4, s5, s6, s7, and s8 are straightlines that connect points p1, p2, p3, p4, p5, p6, p7, and p8 to eachother, which equally divide an imaginary line R10, which is a circlearound the center CG of the opening section 31 s and concentric with theinner edge of the opening section 31 s, into eight segments. Forexample, in the case of the panel having the light receiving surface 80aa, the straight line that connects the point P8, which is located in a12-o'clock position, to the point p1, which is the first dividing point,form the outer circumferential edge s1, and the straight line thatconnects the point p1 to the point p2, which is the following dividingpoint, form the outer circumferential edge s2. The inner circumferenceof the solar battery 80A is formed of a roughly concentric circle aroundthe center CG.

A solar battery 80B according to Variation 2 shown in FIG. 5C by way ofexample is formed of panels having light receiving surfaces 80 ab, 80bb, 80 cb, and 80 db with the outer circumference of each of the panelsequally divided into three segments, and the solar battery 80B as awhole has linear outer circumferential edges s11, s12, s13, s14, s15,s16, s17, s18, s19, s20, s21, and s22, which are equally divided twelvecircumferential edges. Specifically, the outer circumferential edgess11, s12, s13, s14, s15, s16, s17, s18, s19, s20, s21, and s22 arestraight lines that connect points p11, p12, p13, p14, p15, p16, p17,p18, p19, p20, p21, and p22 to each other, which equally divide theimaginary line R10, which is a circle around the center CG of theopening section 31 s and concentric with the inner edge of the openingsection 31 s, into twelve segments. For example, in the case of thepanel having the light receiving surface 80 ab, the straight line thatconnects the point p22, which is located in a 12-o'clock position, tothe point p11, which is the first dividing point, form the outercircumferential edge s11, and the straight line that connects the pointp11 to the point p12, which is the following dividing point, form theouter circumferential edge s12. The inner circumference of the solarbattery 80B is formed of a roughly concentric circle around the centerCG.

In Variations shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the inner circumferences of thepanels form the inner circumference of the solar battery, and the outercircumference of each of the panels is equally divided into two or threesegments. Instead, the inner circumference of each of the panels can bedivided into two or three segments. Still instead, the inner and outercircumferences of each of the panels can each be divided into two orthree segments. Further, a panel having a linear outer or innercircumference and a panel having no linear outer or inner circumferencemay be combined with each other.

A storage 180 stores the pulse wave or any other piece of biologicalinformation detected by the optical sensor section 40, the positioninformation detected by the GPS reception section 160, the body motioninformation detected by the body motion sensor section 170, and otherpieces of information under the control of the CPU 21.

According to the wrist apparatus 200 described above as the portableelectronic apparatus, the acceleration sensor 23 is disposed in aposition where at least part of the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps withthe solar battery 80, which is disposed in an outer circumferentialportion of the case 31, in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction. Inother words, the acceleration sensor 23 is disposed in a positionseparate from the center of gravity of the case 31 in the plan view inthe +Z-axis direction. In still other words, the acceleration sensor 23may be disposed between the outer circumference and the innercircumference of the case 31 in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction.The circuit fixing section 75 and the acceleration sensor 23 are sodisposed as to overlap with the solar battery in the plan view in the+Z-axis direction. The acceleration sensor 23, which is disposed in thevicinity of the outer circumference of the case 31, can reliably capturevibration produced when the case 31 is tapped. That is, the accelerationsensor 23 can reliably sense the tapping operation performed on the case31. Further, the arrangement in which solar battery 80 is disposed in anouter circumferential portion of the case 31 allows increase in thelight receiving area of the solar battery 80 and hence increase in theamount of generated electric power while preventing decrease in thewearability of the wrist apparatus 200 due to degradation in the balanceof the exterior appearance of the wrist apparatus 200, wherebymeasurement failure, necessity of charging operation, and other problemsdue to an insufficient amount of electric power left in the power supply(secondary battery 70) can be avoided.

3.1. Variations of Arrangement of Solar Battery and Acceleration Sensor

The above description has been made with reference to the configurationin which the annular solar battery 80 is disposed on the side facing theouter edge of the display panel 60 and the acceleration sensor 23 isdisposed in a position whereat least part of the acceleration sensor 23overlaps with the solar battery 80 in the plan view in the +Z-axisdirection, but the arrangement of the solar battery 80 and theacceleration sensor 23 is not limited to the arrangement describedabove. The arrangement and configuration (shape) of the solar battery 80and the arrangement of the acceleration sensor 23 can be changed, forexample, as will be described below. It is, however, noted that thesolar battery 80 and the acceleration sensor 23 is not necessarilyarranged and configured as follows and can be arranged and configured inother ways. Variations 1 to 4 of the arrangement of the solar battery 80and the acceleration sensor 23 will be sequentially described below withreference to FIGS. 9 to 12. FIGS. 9 to 12 are plan views showing thevariations of the arrangement of the solar battery and the accelerationsensor. FIG. 9 shows Variation 1, FIG. 10 shows Variation 2, FIG. 11shows Variation 3, and FIG. 12 shows Variation 4.

Variation 1

Variation 1 of the arrangement of the solar battery and the accelerationsensor will first be described with reference to FIG. 9. A solar battery801 according to Variation 1 is present between the windshield 55 andthe display panel 60 (see FIG. 4) and disposed in the form of fourdivided panels in positions angularly shifted by about 45 degrees fromthe X and Y axes, and light receiving surfaces 80 i, 80 j, 80 k, and 80m of the panels are so disposed as to be oriented in the +Z-axisdirection, as shown in FIG. 9. The solar battery 801 has an outercircumference 801 os, which extends along the opening section 31 s ofthe case 31, and an inner circumference 801 is, the perimeter of whichis shorter than that of the outer circumference 801 os, and is disposedabove an outer circumferential portion of the display panel 60. That is,the panels having the light receiving surfaces 80 i, 80 j, 80 k, and 80m also each have an inner circumference the perimeter of which isshorter than that of the outer circumference. The solar battery 801 isso configured that the panels having the light receiving surfaces 80 i,80 j, 80 k, and 80 m form a rectangular (roughly square in presentexample) through hole in a central portion of the case 31. That is, thepanels of the solar battery 801 each have an arcuate outer circumferenceand a roughly linear central circumference, so that a rectangulardisplay section 501 is formed. In the present configuration, the solarbattery 801 formed of the four panels is presented by way of example,and the solar battery 801 may instead be formed of a non-divided unitarypanel.

The acceleration sensor 23 is disposed in a position where at least partof the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps with the solar battery 801 in theplan view in the +Z-axis direction and attached to a circuit substratethat is not shown. Specifically, part of the acceleration sensor 23overlaps in the plan view with the panel having the light receivingsurface 80 m out of the panels that form the solar battery 801. In otherwords, with respect to the center of the display surface, theacceleration sensor 23 is disposed in an −X-axis-side outercircumferential portion of the case 31, that is, in a position close tothe outer circumference of the case 31.

The optical sensor section 40 includes at least the sensor substrate 43,to which the light emitters 42 and the light receiver 41 are connected,and is disposed in a central portion of the rectangular (roughly squarein present example) through hole of the solar battery 801 in the planview in the +Z-axis direction. That is, the optical sensor section 40 isso disposed in an inner portion of the case 31 as not to overlap withthe solar battery 801 but as to be surrounded by the solar battery 801in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction. The optical sensor section 40is further so disposed as to overlap with the center of gravity G of thesolar battery 801 in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction. Theconfiguration of the optical sensor section 40 is the same as thatdescribed above and will therefore not be described.

According to the arrangement in Variation 1, in which the accelerationsensor 23 is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case31, the acceleration sensor 23 can precisely sense the operation oftapping the case 31. Further, the arrangement in which solar battery 801is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case 31 allowsincrease in the light receiving area of the solar battery 801 and henceincrease in the amount of generated electric power while preventingdecrease in the wearability of the wrist apparatus 200 due todegradation in the balance of the exterior appearance of the wristapparatus 200, whereby an insufficient amount of electric power left inthe power supply (secondary battery 70) can be avoided.

Variation 2

Variation 2 of the arrangement of the solar battery and the accelerationsensor will next be described with reference to FIG. 10. A solar battery802 according to Variation 2 is present between the windshield 55 andthe display panel 60 (see FIG. 4) and is formed of two panels eachhaving an arcuate outer edge that forms the outer circumference and aroughly linear straight portion that forms the central circumference,and the two panels are so disposed that the roughly linear straightportions face each other along the X axis and form a display section 502therebetween, as shown in FIG. 10. Specifically, the solar battery 802has an outer circumference 802 os, which extends along the openingsection 31 s of the case 31, and an inner circumference 802 is, theperimeter of which is shorter than that of the outer circumference 802os, and is disposed above an outer circumferential portion of thedisplay panel 60. That is, the panels having light receiving surfaces 80n and 80 p each have an inner circumference the perimeter of which isshorter than that of the outer circumference. The light receivingsurfaces 80 n and 80 p of the panels that form the solar battery 802 areso disposed as to be oriented in the +Z-axis direction.

The acceleration sensor 23 is disposed in a position where at least partof the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps with the solar battery 802 in theplan view in the +Z-axis direction and attached to a circuit substratethat is not shown. Specifically, the acceleration sensor 23 is sodisposed that part thereof overlaps in the plan view with the panelhaving the light receiving surface 80 n out of the panels that form thesolar battery 802. In other words, the acceleration sensor 23 isdisposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case 31, the portionshifted in the +Y-axis direction from the −X axis passing through thecenter of gravity G of the solar battery 802, that is, in a positionclose to the outer circumference of the case 31.

The optical sensor section 40 includes at least the sensor substrate 43,to which the light emitters 42 and the light receiver 41 are connected,and is disposed in a central portion of the display section 502 disposedbetween the two solar batteries 802 in the plan view in the +Z-axisdirection. That is, the optical sensor section 40 is disposed in aposition where the optical sensor section 40 does not overlap with thesolar battery 802 in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction. The opticalsensor section 40 is further so disposed as to overlap with the centerof gravity G of the solar battery 802 in the plan view in the +Z-axisdirection. The configuration of the optical sensor section 40 is thesame as that described above and will therefore not be described.

According to the arrangement in Variation 2, in which the accelerationsensor 23 is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case31, the acceleration sensor 23 can precisely sense the operation oftapping the case 31. Further, the arrangement in which solar battery 802is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case 31 allowsincrease in the light receiving area of the solar battery 802 and henceincrease in the amount of generated electric power while preventingdecrease in the wearability of the wrist apparatus 200 due todegradation in the balance of the exterior appearance of the wristapparatus 200, whereby an insufficient amount of electric power left inthe power supply (secondary battery 70) can be avoided.

Variation 3

Variation 3 of the arrangement of the solar battery and the accelerationsensor will next be described with reference to FIG. 11. A solar battery803 according to Variation 3 shown in FIG. 11 is present between thewindshield 55 and the display panel 60 (see FIG. 4), is located above anouter edge portion of the display panel 60, and is formed of a singlesemicircular panel having an arcuate outer edge that forms the outercircumference and a roughly linear outer edge along the Y axis thatforms the central circumference. Specifically, the solar battery 803 hasan outer circumference 803 os, which extends along the opening section31 s of the case 31, and an inner circumference 803 is, the perimeter ofwhich is shorter than that of the outer circumference 803 os, and isdisposed above one outer circumferential portion of the display panel60. The solar battery 803 is disposed on the +X-axis side (3-o'clockside) of the case 31. A display section 503 is therefore disposed on the−X-axis side (9-o'clock side) of the case 31. A light receiving surface80 s, which forms the solar battery 803, is so disposed as to beoriented in the +Z-axis direction.

The acceleration sensor 23 is disposed in a position where at least partof the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps with the solar battery 803 in theplan view in the +Z-axis direction and attached to a circuit substratethat is not shown. Specifically, the acceleration sensor 23 is disposedin a +X-axis-side (3-o'clock-side) outer circumferential portion of thecase 31, that is, in a position close to the outer circumference of thecase 31 so that the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps in the plan viewwith the light receiving surface 80 s of the panel that forms the solarbattery 803.

An optical sensor section 403 includes at least the sensor substrate 43,to which the light emitters 42 and the light receiver 41 are connected,and the measurement window 45 is disposed in a position shifted from thecentral portion of the case 31 in the −X-axis direction so that theoptical sensor section 403 does not overlap with the solar battery 803in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction. In the arrangement in whichthe solar battery 803 is shifted, the optical sensor section 403 can beso disposed as to coincide with the center of gravity G. The opticalsensor section 403 is disposed in the position different from theposition where the optical sensor section 40 described above is disposedbut has the same configuration as that of the optical sensor section 40,and the configuration of the optical sensor section 403 will thereforenot be described.

According to the arrangement in Variation 3, in which the accelerationsensor 23 is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case31, the acceleration sensor 23 can precisely sense the operation oftapping the case 31. Further, the arrangement in which solar battery 803is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case 31 allowsincrease in the light receiving area of the solar battery 803 and henceincrease in the amount of generated electric power while preventingdecrease in the wearability of the wrist apparatus 200 due todegradation in the balance of the exterior appearance of the wristapparatus 200, whereby an insufficient amount of electric power left inthe power supply (secondary battery 70) can be avoided.

According to the arrangement in Variation 3, when the apparatus 200 isworn on the user's wrist, the +X-axis side (3-o'clock side) of the case31 is located on the side facing the user's fingertips in many cases andis therefore unlikely to be covered with the user's clothes (sleeve).Therefore, the arrangement of the solar battery 803 on the +X-axis side(3-o'clock side) of the case 31 allows increase in sunlight receptionprobability, whereby electric power can be generated more efficiently.

Variation 4

Variation 4 of the arrangement of the solar battery and the accelerationsensor will next be described with reference to FIG. 12. A solar battery804 according to Variation 4 shown in FIG. 12 is present between thewindshield 55 and the display panel 60 (see FIG. 4), is located in aportion facing the outer edge of the display panel 60, and is formed ofa single semicircular panel having an arcuate outer edge (outercircumference) that forms the outer circumference and a roughly linearouter edge (inner circumference) along the X axis that forms the centralcircumference. Specifically, the solar battery 804 has an outercircumference 804 os, which extends along the opening section 31 s ofthe case 31, and an inner circumference 804 is, the perimeter of whichis shorter than that of the outer circumference 804 os, and is disposedin one outer circumferential portion of the display panel 60. The solarbattery 804 is disposed on the +Y-axis side (12-o'clock side) of thecase 31. A display section 504 is therefore disposed on the −Y-axis side(6-o'clock side) of the case 31. A light receiving surface 80 u, whichforms the solar battery 804, is so disposed as to be oriented in the+Z-axis direction.

The acceleration sensor 23 is disposed in a position where at least partof the acceleration sensor 23 overlaps with the solar battery 804 in theplan view in the +Z-axis direction and which is close to the outercircumference of the case 31, and the acceleration sensor 23 is attachedto a circuit substrate that is not shown. Specifically, the accelerationsensor 23 is disposed in a −X-axis-side (9-o'clock-side) outercircumferential portion of the case 31 so that part of the accelerationsensor 23 overlaps in the plan view with a light receiving surface 80 uof the panel that forms the solar battery 804.

An optical sensor section 404 includes at least the sensor substrate 43,to which the light emitters 42 and the light receiver 41 are connected,and the measurement window 45 is disposed in a position shifted from thecentral portion of the case 31 in the −Y-axis direction so that theoptical sensor section 404 does not overlap with the solar battery 804in the plan view in the +Z-axis direction. The optical sensor section404 is disposed in the position different from the position where theoptical sensor section 40 described above is disposed but has the sameconfiguration as that of the optical sensor section 40, and theconfiguration of the optical sensor section 404 will therefore not bedescribed.

According to the arrangement in Variation 4, in which the accelerationsensor 23 is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case31, the acceleration sensor 23 can precisely sense the operation oftapping the case 31. Further, the arrangement in which solar battery 804is disposed in an outer circumferential portion of the case 31 allowsincrease in the light receiving area of the solar battery 804 and henceincrease in the amount of generated electric power while preventingdecrease in the wearability of the wrist apparatus 200 due todegradation in the balance of the exterior appearance of the wristapparatus 200, whereby an insufficient amount of electric power left inthe power supply (secondary battery 70) can be avoided.

The aforementioned embodiment has been described with reference to thecase where the GPS using the GSP satellites 8 are presented as positioninformation satellites provided in a global navigation satellite system(GNSS) as an example of the positioning system using positioninformation satellites, but the GPS is merely an example. The globalnavigation satellite system may be Galileo (EU), GLONASS (Russia),Hokuto (China), or any other system and only needs to be a systemincluding position information satellites that each issue a satellitesignal, such as SBAS or any other stationary satellite or a quasi-zenithsatellite. That is, the apparatus 200 may be configured to acquire anyone of date information, time information, position information, andspeed information obtained by processing electric waves (wirelesssignals) from position information satellites including satellites otherthan the GPS satellites 8. The global navigation satellite system can bea regional navigation satellite system (RNSS).

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising: acase; an annular solar battery provided in the case; and an accelerationsensor provided in the case and disposed in a position where theacceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery in a plan view alonga normal to a light receiving surface of the solar battery.
 2. Aportable electronic apparatus comprising: a case; a display sectionincorporated in the case and having a display surface on whichinformation is displayed; a solar battery disposed outside the displaysurface in a plan view along a normal to the display surface; and anacceleration sensor incorporated in the case and disposed in a positionwhere the acceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery in theplan view.
 3. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a circuit substrate electrically connected to theacceleration sensor, wherein the circuit substrate is so supported thatan outer circumference thereof is supported by the case.
 4. The portableelectronic apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a circuitsubstrate electrically connected to the acceleration sensor, wherein thecircuit substrate is so supported that an outer circumference thereof issupported by the case.
 5. The portable electronic apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising: a biological information measuring sectionthat is provided in the case and measures biological information,wherein the solar battery is disposed outside an outer edge of thebiological information measuring section in the plan view.
 6. Theportable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:a biological information measuring section that is provided in the caseand measures biological information, wherein the solar battery isdisposed outside an outer edge of the biological information measuringsection in the plan view.
 7. The portable electronic apparatus accordingto claim 5, wherein the circuit substrate is disposed above thebiological information measuring section and the solar battery isdisposed above the circuit substrate in a cross section viewed in adirection perpendicular to a direction of a normal to the lightreceiving surface.
 8. The portable electronic apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the circuit substrate is disposed above the biologicalinformation measuring section and the solar battery is disposed abovethe circuit substrate in a cross section viewed in a directionperpendicular to a direction of a normal to the light receiving surface.9. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein thecircuit substrate has a first surface and a second surface so related tothe first surface that the first and second surfaces are front and rearsurfaces of the circuit substrate, and the solar battery and theacceleration sensor are connected to the first surface, and thebiological information measuring section is connected to the secondsurface.
 10. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 6,wherein the circuit substrate has a first surface and a second surfaceso related to the first surface that the first and second surfaces arefront and rear surfaces of the circuit substrate, and the solar batteryand the acceleration sensor are connected to the first surface, and thebiological information measuring section is connected to the secondsurface.
 11. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 3,wherein the acceleration sensor is mounted on the circuit substrate anddisposed in a portion facing the outer circumference of the circuitsubstrate.
 12. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 4,wherein the acceleration sensor is mounted on the circuit substrate anddisposed in a portion facing the outer circumference of the circuitsubstrate.
 13. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a secondary battery provided in the case andelectrically connected to the solar battery, wherein the secondarybattery is disposed in a position where the secondary battery does notoverlap with the solar battery in the plan view.
 14. The portableelectronic apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: asecondary battery provided in the case and electrically connected to thesolar battery, wherein the secondary battery is disposed in a positionwhere the secondary battery does not overlap with the solar battery inthe plan view.
 15. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim1, wherein the solar battery has an annular shape in the plan view. 16.The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thesolar battery has an annular shape in the plan view.
 17. The portableelectronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a circuitsubstrate provided in the case, wherein the circuit substrate has afirst surface and a second surface so related to the first surface thatthe first and second surfaces are front and rear surfaces of the circuitsubstrate, the acceleration sensor and an illuminator are provided onthe first surface, and a biological information measuring section thatmeasures biological information is provided on the second surface. 18.The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, furthercomprising: a circuit substrate provided in the case, wherein thecircuit substrate has a first surface and a second surface so related tothe first surface that the first and second surfaces are front and rearsurfaces of the circuit substrate, the acceleration sensor and anilluminator are provided on the first surface, and a biologicalinformation measuring section that measures biological information isprovided on the second surface.
 19. The portable electronic apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the biological information measuringsection includes a light emitter and a light receiver, and the lightemitter is disposed outside the light receiver in the plan view.
 20. Awrist apparatus comprising: a case; a display section incorporated inthe case and having a display surface on which information is displayed;a solar battery disposed outside the display surface in a plan viewalong a normal to the display surface; and an acceleration sensorincorporated in the case and disposed in a position where theacceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery in the plan view.21. A portable electronic apparatus comprising: a case; an annular solarbattery provided in the case; a circuit substrate having an outercircumference that is supported by the case; and an acceleration sensormounted on the circuit substrate and disposed in a position where theacceleration sensor overlaps with the solar battery in the plan view,the acceleration sensor being electrically connected to the circuitsubstrate.